Titanium complexes bearing carbamato ligands as catalytic precursors for propylene polymerization reactions

This report describes propylene polymerization reactions with titanium complexes bearing carbamato ligands, Ti(O₂CNMe₂)Cl₂ ( I ) and Ti(O₂CR₂)₄ [R₂ = NMe₂ ( II ), NEt₂ ( III ) and ( IV )]. Combinations of these complexes and MAO form catalysts for the synthesis of atactic polypropylene, as confirmed by FT‐IR, DSC and ¹³C NMR analysis. Effects of main reaction parameters on the catalyst activity were studied including the type of complex, solvent, temperature, and the [Al]/[Ti] molar ratio. The highest activity was observed when chlorobenzene was used as a solvent and AlMe₃‐depleted MAO was employed as a cocatalyst. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 4095–4102     

Effects of ethylene polymerization conditions on the activity of SiO2-supported zirconocene and on polymer properties

The effects of polymerization conditions were evaluated on the production of polyethylene by silica-supported (n-BuCp)₂ZrCl₂ grafted under optimized conditions and cocatalyzed by methylaluminoxane (MAO). The Al : Zr molar ratio, reaction temperature, monomer pressure, and the age and concentration of the catalyst were systematically varied. Most reactions were performed in toluene. Hexane, with the addition of triisobutilaluminum (TIBA) to MAO, was also tested as a polymerization solvent for both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalyst systems. Polymerization reactions in hexane showed their highest activities with MAO : TIBA ratios of 3 : 1 and 1 : 1 for the homogeneous and supported systems, respectively. Catalyst activity increased continuously as Al : Zr molar ratios increased from 0 to 2000, and remained constant up to 5000. The highest activity was observed at 333 K. High monomer pressures (≈ 4 atm) appeared to stabilize active species during polymerization, producing polyethylenes with high molecular weight (≈ 3 × 10⁵ g mol⁻¹). Catalyst concentration had no significant effect on polymerization activity or polymer properties. Catalyst aging under inert atmosphere was evaluated over 6 months; a pronounced reduction in catalyst activity [from 20 to 13 × 10⁵ g PE (mol Zr h)⁻¹] was observed only after the first two days following preparation. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1987–1996, 1999     

Honey as a candidate reference material for trace elements.

The feasibility of producing and certifying new certified reference materials (CRMs) for trace elements in honey was investigated. Preliminary steps for preparation of candidate materials are performed at the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements, Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (EC-JRC-IRMM). Two different types of honey, Acacia and Eucalyptus, were tested for determination of 10 trace elements. To each type of honey was added a given amount of high purity deionized water to obtain aqueous solutions with an acceptable degree of homogeneity which would require only minimal manipulation before analysis. Average values obtained for the trace elements by means of inductively coupled plasma-based techniques were as follows (in microg/ kg +/- SD): Acacia honey, As, 1.10+/-0.20; Cd, 0.328+/-0.035; Cr, 1.90+/-0.22; Cu, 67.0+/-5; Fe, 215+/-30; Hg, < 0.75; Mn, 82.1+/-6.2; Ni, 21.0 3.0; Pb, 2.30+/-0.25; Se, 9.10+/-1.2; Zn, 167+/-22; Eucalyptus honey, As, 5.99+/-0.10; Cd, 0.592+/-0.074; Cr, 1.50+/-0.07; Cu, 219 24; Fe, 1008+/-114; Hg, <0.75; Mn, 1009+/-51; Ni, 11.3+/-1.5; Pb, 5.00+/-0.40; Se, 5.60+/-0.91; Zn, 791+/-91. When these 2 pilot materials are ready, the certification project will be launched in full compliance with current rules set by EC-JRC-IRMM. If the project is successful, the new CRMs will be put primarily at the disposal of the National Reference Laboratories for trace elements.     

A pilot study for the production of a certified reference material for trace elements in honey

In the context of the general mandate of the European Union Community Reference Laboratory (CRL) for residues in living animals and their products established at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, a pilot study was undertaken to assess the possibility of producing a new certified reference material (CRM) for trace elements in a matrix of honey. The elements considered were As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sn, V and Zn. Their determination was performed by inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-based techniques. Data obtained with different ICP techniques were generally in good agreement. In light of these results, the next step was the effective production of a candidate CRM in a honey matrix. In the preliminary phase, two different types of honey, i.e., Eucalyptus (solid and sticky) and Robinia (viscous and sticky), were pretreated at the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements, Joint Research Centre, European Commission (EC-JRC-IRMM) in order to produce the materials candidate for the certification process. Approximately 600 ampoules were thus produced for the Robinia honey and 450 ampoules for the Eucalyptus honey, each ampoule containing 5 g of an aqueous solution of honey (with 20% and 30% high purity water, respectively) and sealed under inert gas (Ar). A ring test to determine the levels of the chemical elements and a long-term study to evaluate the stability of the samples is in progress. Tentative figures for the analytes of interest are (in ng g⁻¹): Robinia, As, 1.28±0.09; Cd, 0.59±0.08; Cr, 2.36±0.21; Cu, 57.6±3.2; Fe, 209±9; Mn, 90.8±3; Ni, 18.1±0.6; Pb, 23±1.5; Sn, 8.10±0.35; V, 1.19±0.37; and Zn, 178±4; Eucalyptus, As, 3.18±0.21; Cd, 0.70±0.08; Cr, 2.73±0.22; Cu, 141±6; Fe, 926±16; Mn, 1905±81; Ni, 7.77±0.4; Pb, 138±4; Sn, 7.97±0.16; V, 3.47±0.15; and Zn, 405±9.     

Measurement of heterogeneous reaction rates: three strategies for controlling mass transport and their application to indium-mediated allylations

We describe three new strategies for determining heterogeneous reaction rates using photomicroscopy to measure the rate of retreat of metal surfaces: (i) spheres in a stirred solution, (ii) microscopic powder in an unstirred solution, and (iii) spheres on a rotating shaft. The strategies are applied to indium-mediated allylation (IMA), which is a powerful tool for synthetic chemists because of its stereoselectivity, broad applicability, and high yields. The rate-limiting step of IMA, reaction of allyl halides at indium metal surfaces, is shown to be fast, with a minimum value of the heterogeneous rate constant of 1 × 10(-2) cm/s, an order of magnitude faster than the previously determined minimum value. The strategies described here can be applied to any reaction in which the surface is retreating or advancing, thereby broadening the applicability of photomicroscopy to measuring heterogeneous reaction kinetics.     

Efficient organic monoliths prepared by γ-radiation induced polymerization in the evaluation of histone deacetylase inhibitors by capillary(nano)-high performance liquid chromatography and ion trap mass spectrometry

New monolithic HPLC columns were prepared by γ-radiation-triggered polymerization of hexyl methacrylate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate monomers in the presence of porogenic solvents. Polymerization was carried out directly within capillary (250-200 μm I.D.) and nano (100-75 μm I.D.) fused-silica tubes yielding highly efficient columns for cap(nano)-LC applications. The columns were applied in the complete separation of core (H2A, H2B, H3, and H4) and linker (H1) histones under gradient elution with UV and/or electrospray ionization (ESI) ion trap mass spectrometry (MS) detections. Large selectivity towards H1, H2A-1, H2A-2, H2B, H3-1, H3-2 and H4 histones and complete separation were obtained within 8 min time windows, using fast gradients and very high linear flow velocities, up to 11 mm/s for high throughput applications. The method developed was the basis of a simple and efficient protocol for the evaluation of post-translational modifications (PTMs) of histones from NCI-H460 human non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and HCT-116 human colorectal carcinoma cells. The study was extended to monitoring the level of histone acetylation after inhibition of Histone DeACetylase (HDAC) enzymes with suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), the first HDAC inhibitor approved by the FDA for cancer therapy. Attractive features of our cap(nano)-LC/MS approach are the short analysis time, the minute amount of sample required to complete the whole procedure and the stability of the polymethacrylate-based columns. A lab-made software package ClustMass was ad hoc developed and used to elaborate deconvoluted mass spectral data (aligning, averaging, clustering) and calculate the potency of HDAC inhibitors, expressed through a Relative half maximal Inhibitory Concentration parameter, namely R_IC(50) and an averaged acetylation degree.     

Molecular modeling of oligopeptide adsorption onto functionalized quartz surfaces

The adsorption of an EAK 16-II oligopeptide sequence in aqueous medium onto functionalized quartz surfaces has been studied by using force field calculations and molecular dynamics methods. Two different surfaces have been simulated respectively involving fully methylated and fully silanolic quartz surfaces. Geometry optimization and molecular dynamics simulations showed that the adsorption process is mainly governed by the electrostatic interactions between SiO- surface groups and the charged residues of the oligopeptide sequence. In particular, it was found that strong electrostatic interactions (a) prompt the parallel orientation of the oligopeptide with respect to the hydrophilic charged surface, resulting in an effective physisorption process and (b) stabilize the beta-sheet configuration of the physisorbed molecules. In particular, the end-on oligopeptide orientations are demonstrated to progressively lie back onto the hydrophilic surface, but this does not happen onto the hydrophobic surface. In any case, no physisorption process was observed for the fully methylated surface, where the molecule is seen to move away from the surface during the simulation time.     

The Cardbox/Cardview Database for residues in live animals and their products

The growing interest of the public opinion in environmental problems has resulted in the establishment of national and international norms and regulations. Among others, the protection of human health requires the constant monitoring of several groups of potentially toxic substances as well as of their residues in live animals and their products. For this reason in recent years the European Commission decided to establish four Community Reference Laboratories (CRLs) for the analysis of residues in products of animal origin. The current mandate and operative conditions of the CRLs are described in the Council Directive 96/23/EC of 29 April 1996, which has the goal of promoting and supporting the harmonization of approaches among National Reference Laboratories (NRLs). In this context the CRL at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità of Rome is responsible for chemical elements, organochlorine compounds (including PCBs), carbamates, pyrethroids and organophosphorus compounds. The supply of updated information on the literature of relevance to the tasks of the NRLs is one of the duties of the Rome CRL. To this end, the so-called Cardbox Database has been set up, which for the time being is fully operative for chemical elements and organochlorine compounds.